


What's Owed

by neopuff



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-03-20 19:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18999448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neopuff/pseuds/neopuff
Summary: The first thing he noticed was a still figure strapped to a chair, and though it was blurry, he could make out long blonde hair cascading over their shoulders. Scrooge leaned forward in his seat and glared at the screen. That couldn’t possibly…“...Is that Goldie?”





	1. Duckburg

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote down a prompt on my phone a few days ago and forgot about it until this morning, and theennnn. yeah. Then it somehow turned into this. Which I suppose will be a multi-chapter fic, but I haven't written one of those in years so I hope I can keep up with it.
> 
> No beta, let me know if you see any typos. Enjoy!

“Mr. McDuck? You, um...received something odd in the mail.”

Scrooge looked up from his newspaper and regarded Mrs. Beakley with a raised eyebrow. “What is it?”

She lifted her hand to show him a video cassette - one that looked particularly old and worn. It had the word **_WATCH_ ** written crudely on top.

He laid the paper down and reached over to grab it, examining it on all sides. “I havnae seen a cassette tape in years,” he said thoughtfully.

“Would you like me to find a VCR?” Beakley asked with a hand on her hip.

“If you could,” Scrooge nodded. “Hopefully this doesnae end up being some sort of curse.”

As she walked away, he continued to stare at the tape. There were no names, no dates, nothing to give him a hint as to what would be on it. It was almost certainly going to be threatening, he had no doubt, so it was time to buckle up and get ready for an adventure of some sort. Perhaps he’d invite along Webbigail and the boys if the threat seemed harmless enough.

Beakley returned with an old cart that carried their “outdated technology,” as Huey put it. There was a CRT television, two separate VCRs, and the projector he was gifted by an old friend back in ‘74. He handed her the tape and she frowned at the title before sticking it in and pressing play.

It started as expected: black screen, occasional static and noise, muffled sounds of whispering. Scrooge and Beakley shared an exasperated look as they mutually considered the possibility that this was a hoax. But then the real show started.

The first thing he noticed was a still figure strapped to a chair, and though it was blurry, he could make out long blonde hair cascading over their shoulders. Scrooge leaned forward in his seat and glared at the screen. That couldn’t possibly…

“...Is that _Goldie?_ ”

The image finally started to clear up and it become obvious that that was exactly who was tied up on the screen. She was asleep and her arms were covered in visible scratches and marks. Scrooge pushed his chair back and stood up, getting closer to the TV.

“Beakley…what’s-?”

“I don’t know, Mr. McDuck, I have the same amount of information as you do.”

Someone wearing a ski mask and carrying a carbine walked up to her and lightly smacked her head with the muzzle of the gun. Scrooge’s heart started to race as his paranoia told him this could be some kind of sick snuff film made specifically for him.

Beakley was watching carefully and not saying a word as Goldie started to stir in the video. Scrooge wondered if she was feeling as calm as she looked.

 _“...huh?”_ Goldie’s voice echoed in his ears - this would _not_ be the last time he heard her voice. Not if he could help it.

 _“What-?!”_ Goldie looked down at her restraints and then up at the person standing next to her. _“Oh, buddy, you do_ **_not_ ** _know who you’re dealing with! I’ll-”_

She stopped talking when they silently moved the carbine up to her head and pressed it against her temple. Scrooge’s heart stopped.

 _“...alright, alright,”_ Goldie mumbled. _“What do you want?”_

Still, they didn’t say anything, and if there was anyone else in the room with them, they weren’t speaking either. Instead, they used their gun to motion towards the camera, and Goldie followed the line of sight cautiously.

The brief eye contact that Goldie made with the camera - and as a result, with him - made Scrooge all the more angry at whoever did this. She looked _scared._ And Goldie O’Gilt never looked scared. They had to be powerful - both physically and strategically - to have gotten the drop on her. But they didn’t know the wrath they were about to subject themselves to once Scrooge got his hands on them.

 _“Is…”_ Goldie squinted at the camera. _“Oh,_ **_fuck_ ** _no, you better not be sending this to Scrooge! Are you_ ransoming _me?!_ **_ME?!_ ** _I’m the one who_ **_makes_ ** _ransoms, you steaming piles of useless garbage!”_ She started thrashing about and shaking her chair. _“If you think I’ll still be here when he gets this_ **_stupid_ ** _video, you’ve got another thing comi-!!!!”_

A gag was tied around her mouth at that point, and Scrooge put a hand over his pounding heart and sighed. It didn’t seem like they were going to kill her - at least, not yet. That eased his anxieties quite a bit.

The camera suddenly turned away from their captive - whose angry, muffled screeching was still audible in the background - and showed crudely written words in white chalk on an old, broken chalkboard.

**_SKAGWAY. ONE TRILLION DOLLARS._ **

**_NO COPS. SHE DIES JUNE 6TH._ **

The camera shut off and Scrooge rubbed at his eyes. Not that he would be paying it, but one _trillion?_ He could only think of a small number of enemies from his life that would dare demand that amount of money. And an even smaller number who would be parked up in Alaska.

He tapped his fingers on the table and seethed for a few moments. It was currently May 28th, so they had a few days. But he obviously didn’t plan on waiting.

“Scrooge.”

He didn’t look at Beakley, who was glaring down at him. “Twenty-two.”

“You should call her to make sure she hasn’t already escaped. Or that this isn’t some sort of scheme.”

Scrooge exhaled loudly and nodded. “I will.”

“If she doesn’t pick up, is there anyone else you could call or should we assume the worst?”

He tapped his fingers against the table some more. “...no one I know about.”

“Alright,” Beakley grabbed a notepad from her pocket and started jotting a few things down. “Hurry up and call her while I make preparations. If we’re lucky, she’s already home and this will be taken care of before lunchtime.”

Scrooge made his way to his office where he kept his special phones dedicated to certain individuals. His phone to Dismal Downs, to the island of Great Written, to his business partner in Cape Suzette...and his phone to the Blackjack Saloon. It was rarely used and hidden in a locked drawer, but he pulled it out and blew off the dust.

He sighed and picked up the phone, dialing the number which hadn’t changed in decades. “Goldie Girl...if you’re there, _please_ pick up.”

It rang once, twice. A third time and Scrooge started to lose hope. But before the fourth ring, someone answered.

_“Gol-?!”_

“Thanks for calling the Blackjack Saloon, this is Linda, how may I help you?”

He blinked and stared at the receiver. “Who’re _you?_ ”

“...as I said previously, my name is Linda. Can I help you with something, Mr…?”

“Is Goldie there?”

“Miss O’Gilt isn’t available at the moment, could I get your name and number and have her call you back?”

Scrooge grumbled and squeezed the phone in his hand. “Is she unavailable because she’s takin' a _nap_ or because she’s been kidnapped and you don’t know where she is?”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. “Oh shit, I just-...are you Scrooge McDuck?”

“I am.”

“Shit, shit, okay, so, like…” She paused for a moment, clearly finding her words. “I did get a weird letter yesterday and it said to contact you, but...Goldie told me to never _ever_ call you under any circumstances.”

He sighed. Now he was confident that this girl definitely knew Goldie. “What did the letter say?”

“Let me grab it, um…” She shuffled around a bit again. “It says… _’Have Glittering. One trillion. Skagway. McDuck. June 6.’_ Super weirdly written, I know. But Glittering means Goldie, right?”

Scrooge closed his eyes. “It’s...Linda, right?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll take care of this, just keep workin' like normal. I’ll get her back.”

“Cool, good, um…” She paused. “What should I tell Dickie? Should I just lie and say Goldie went on a trip?”

Scrooge glared at the phone. Who the hell was she talking about now? He didn’t have time for twenty questions. “Don’t tell _anyone_ any details, just make somethin' up. I’ve got to go.”

“Um, alright, thanks-”

He hung up at the confirmation that she heard him and shoved the phone back into its drawer. Apparently Goldie had switched that phone number to the front desk instead of her private office sometime in the last decade, since that was the first time he’d ever had to speak to an employee instead of directly to her.

But at least he was sure the videotape was legitimate now. It didn’t make him feel any better, and the idea of “rescuing” Goldie seemed so foreign that he wasn’t quite sure this was real. But whether it be dream or hallucination or reality, he was going to get her back. And her kidnappers were going to _pay._


	2. Skagway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the walk was in complete silence - Beakley was analyzing every building and every person they saw for exit strategies, and Scrooge was trying to figure out how he could stop himself from beating this kidnapper to a pulp the minute they locked eyes. He knew it would only make Goldie’s situation worse, but he hadn’t been this angry in a long time - being back in the North just brought up old feelings, he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out a lot longer than I expected lol ANYWAY please enjoy, let me know if you see any typos. Thanks!

Skagway was a few hours flight away - though with Launchpad at the helm, their actual ETA was anyone’s guess. Scrooge looked over at Beakley, who was going through her small notepad and nodding in affirmation every page or so.

“So Della agreed to watch the kids?” he asked, trying to fill up the empty silence of the plane.

“She did,” Beakley responded, not looking up. “And Donald agreed to watch her, so they should all be fine.” Though she didn’t think highly of Donald, she knew he was a bit more responsible than his sister.

Scrooge nodded and looked around. He felt like he should be _doing_ something, preparing for something! Training for battle or loading up a weapon. This was his fault, after all. Even with all the crap Goldie pulled on adventurers and guides (and everyone) right and left, the enemy that managed to take her wasn’t even one of her own. He felt positively guilt-ridden over it.

“She’s going to be fine,” Beakley said sternly, finally looking up at him. “Stop blaming yourself. It’s not like she doesn’t get herself into trouble every other day.”

He scoffed. “At least she gets into trouble she knows she can get out of. We don’t even know what the trouble _is_ this time!”

The former S.H.U.S.H. agent rolled her eyes. “There’s _no_ trouble she can’t find her way out of. You don’t need to worry.”

“I’m still feelin’ a wee bit anxious after seein' a gun against her head!” Scrooge growled. “Forgive me if my confidence isn’t where it normally is!”

Beakley stared silently at him for a moment before returning to her notepad. “She’ll be _fine_.”

He huffed and sunk into his chair, feeling a little better having gotten that off his chest. Still, it’d be nice he could absorb some of Beakley’s confidence so he could stop tugging at his whiskers.

-

The town of Skagway was exceptionally small. Their options for arrival were: land far away and sneak into town, or land at the tiny airport and make their presence known to everyone around (including the kidnappers, most likely). Scrooge said they should sneak, Beakley said she had several back-up plans depending on how badly Launchpad crashed.

In the end, his landing wasn’t as ridiculous as expected. They landed in the water and smashed into the side of a cruise ship instead of the airport or the hundred-year-old buildings in town, so all things considered…

“Launchpad, stay here and fix any damages to the plane.”

“Aye-Aye, Mr. McD!” He saluted incorrectly and then spun around to grab his tools.

Beakley shoved the notebook into her apron pocket and looked directly at Scrooge. “Obviously we won’t be able to sneak up on anyone, so it’s time for Plan B.”

Scrooge rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck. “Fine, fine. But don’t expect me to be _nice._ ”

“I would never expect such out-of-character behavior from you,” Beakley said with a smirk. She grabbed the briefcase next to her and brushed invisible dust off her apron before exiting the plane with Scrooge in tow.

They knew the kidnappers were aware of their arrival, but still weren’t sure where they were supposed to meet. Skagway was a small town - perhaps more of a village than a town - but it was still relatively bustling and had a number of shops and buildings that Goldie could be stashed in.

Scrooge glanced down to see a town map conveniently laying on the ground not too far from them. Unable to resist some free help, he grabbed it and squinted down at what was an area clearly circled in red marker.

“We’re goin' to the Red Onion Saloon, apparently,” Scrooge said with a scowl.

Beakley grabbed the map out of his hand and didn’t follow when Scrooge started the short walk towards the bar. “I sincerely doubt she’s in some saloon basement. We’ll likely have to go to a second location.”

Scrooge turned to her and shrugged. “Better for us if there’s less people nearby, right, Twenty-Two?”

She rolled her eyes and caught up to him, already seeing the Red Onion in the distance.

The rest of the walk was in complete silence - Beakley was analyzing every building and every person they saw for exit strategies, and Scrooge was trying to figure out how he could stop himself from beating this kidnapper to a pulp the minute they locked eyes. He knew it would only make Goldie’s situation worse, but he hadn’t been this angry in a long time - being back in the North just brought up old feelings, he supposed.

As they entered the building - one that Scrooge recognized having walked by in the very distant past - they were hit with the music, the smells, and the sounds of customers loudly shouting at each other. He supposed this was a particularly busy time what with the cruise ship having stopped here for the evening.

Beakley elbowed him in the arm and pointed to the back corner of the room. Scrooge locked eyes with someone in a black hoodie - their face was completely covered except for their nose which stuck out and twitched at all the smells around them. Scrooge scowled and started to walk towards them with Beakley following close behind.

As he took a seat, the kidnapper scoffed and motioned to Beakley standing behind him. “We said to come alone.”

“No, you didnae. You just said no cops,” Scrooge crossed his arms and sat back in the chair, taking note of the kidnapper’s voice. They sounded feminine and didn’t have any discernible accent, which wasn’t helpful in figuring out who they were. “She’s my bodyguard, so she’s staying.”

“Whatever.” They looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Do you have the money?”

Scrooge leaned over the table. “You don’t get the money until I see Goldie.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“There _was_ no deal! You just sent a stupid threat with no information!” Scrooge growled, trying not to raise his voice. “And what’s to stop me from killin' you and gettin' Goldie back myself, hm?”

Beakley rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the shoulder. Scrooge just ignored her and glared at the kidnapper.

“If I don’t check in with my Number Two every five minutes, your girlfriend gets a bullet through the brain,” they responded calmly. “Not to mention, there’s no way you’d be able to find her without my help.”

Scrooge scoffed and leaned back again. “Fine. Then take us to her and you’ll get yer money.”

They looked over at the briefcase in Beakley’s hand and then back at Scrooge. “There’s no way there’s a trillion dollars in there. Show it to me now.”

He looked up at Beakley who sighed in annoyance and opened the case. Inside was a single check for $1,000,000,000,000.

“A check?” They glared at Scrooge. “You were supposed to bring _cash._ ”

Scrooge let out an uncharacteristic laugh. “Are you daft? That amount of money wouldnae fit in my plane, let alone a suitcase!”

The kidnapper slammed a fist onto the table and growled. “ _Shut up!_ Fine! I’ll take you to see her, but then my partner and I are leaving with the check!”

“Then let’s go. The less time I have to spend with you, the better.” Scrooge stood up and glared down at them, hoping to intimidate.

They stared back at him for a few moments before scoffing and standing up as well. “Fine.” They pulled out their phone and started typing a text while motioning for Scrooge and Beakley to follow them out of the saloon. Beakley grabbed Scrooge’s arm to hold him back for a moment.

“You could try to be at least a _bit_ cooperative. You’re lucky this is working!” she whispered angrily.

Scrooge rolled his eyes. “You heard that voice. She sounds like a _kid._ And this kidnappin' was terribly planned.”

“They still have a gun trained to O’Gilt’s head, just keep that in mind.”

He shook his head and started to walk towards the exit. “I’m not worried about Goldie anymore. She can handle people like _this._ ”

Beakley sighed and shoved him forward to keep them moving. Suddenly their confidence levels had switched - the incompetence of this kidnapper made her less sure about Goldie’s survival rate - Goldie tended to talk back to her enemies and if she couldn’t hold her tongue, she could lose her life.

They spotted the kidnapper waiting outside an ugly black jeep. The car was covered in dirt, dents, and scratches, and Scrooge imagined the upholstery was torn up to match.

“Give me your phones and get in,” they said with an outstretched hand.

Scrooge and Beakley rolled their eyes simultaneously and handed over their phones, not really needing them anyway. They could be knocked out and blindfolded and Scrooge would still recognize the area they stopped in - his memories of this town back in 1909 were brief but vivid.

They sat in the back and the kidnapper started the car - it sputtered for a bit before finally lighting up and then they were on the single road that headed out of the town. Scrooge glanced at Beakley who was lightly tapping her fingers on the briefcase on her lap, clearly analyzing the car and the surrounding area for exits and weapons and all the things that S.H.U.S.H. trained her to do.

He glared at their driver and took note that she was clearly a pig. Scrooge didn’t have a significant number of enemies that were from a pig family, but he still had absolutely no idea who this girl was. It wouldn’t be the first time that he was threatened by some ex-employee of his that he’d never met before, but the ransom here was too ridiculous. There had to be something else going on.

They’d gone for about two miles out of town when the kidnapper took a turn into a gigantic graveyard. The headstones were old - very, _very_ old - and Scrooge wondered if he knew some of the people buried here. They passed a sign that said _“Gold Rush Cemetery”_ and he became certain he did.

Beakley was scanning the area for where they could possibly be keeping Goldie - unless they buried her in a shallow grave, nothing was standing out. Not that it wasn’t a possibility, but Scrooge would probably kill them if Goldie wasn’t alive and well when they found her.

The jeep stopped and the kidnapper reached over into the glove compartment to pull out a withered and clearly very used glock. She checked that it was loaded and used it to motion at Scrooge and Beakley. “Get out.”

They followed her orders and stood awkward outside of the car, still not sure where they were headed. She slammed the door and pointed the gun at them again, using her free hand to point towards a grove of trees not too far away. “Walk that way.”

They walked silently, occasionally making eye contact with one another, but with the gun trained on their backs there was no opportunity for conversation. Beakley was pissed that she didn’t realize there was a weapon in the glove compartment - clearly she was slipping in her old age, frustrating as it was.

As they walked through the trees, Scrooge and Beakley took notice of a large mausoleum in a small clearing. Scrooge felt his anger surging, but did his best to contain it as he considered that Goldie was in there and probably still scared as hell.

She pressed the gun against Scrooge’s back and he flinched at the sudden contact. “Go inside.” Then she turned to Beakley. “You stay out here. If you follow, we’ll just kill them both.”

Beakley glared and handed the briefcase to Scrooge, who grabbed it and squeezed the handle tight. “I’m goin', I’m goin'!”

He moved towards the doors and the kidnapper kept her weapon aimed at Beakley as she followed behind him, while the former agent just stood there with her arms crossed. This wasn’t necessarily part of their plan, but she’d wait five minutes and sneak down there to help.

Inside the mausoleum was a single casket - it was dirty on the sides and the lid was covered in dusty handprints. “Is Goldie in _there?_ ” he asked cautiously, still very pissed off.

“Open it and keep moving,” she responded gruffly.

He barely understood what she meant by that, but when he opened the casket to reveal a long staircase, it became obvious. Scrooge sighed and climbed up so he could start climbing down, still feeling the gun trained on him just a few feet back.

The staircase was long and steep and not well lit. He almost slipped a few times, but steadied himself on the disgusting and damp walls surrounding them. It wasn’t the least pleasant stair climbing experience of his life, but it would definitely make the list. He could make out a dim light at the bottom and his heart started to race at the hopes of seeing Goldie alive and well.

When he finally stepped off the last stair, he had to duck to enter the next room, but the sight in front of him was...well, not at all shocking.

Goldie, still tied up to a chair and covered in scratches and bruises, had the other kidnapper pinned to a wall with the back of the chair - her left boot with its familiar retractable spiked heel was dug into the top of his foot and he was crying and begging her to let him go.

Scrooge smiled and felt his heart flutter. As expected, she could take care of herself. Maybe not finish the job, but with his gun laying on the floor a few feet away, at least he knew she was safe. Safer than her kidnapper, at least.

Speaking of, the other kidnapper finally showed up behind him, and after a second of trying to process what she was looking at, screamed “ _Joe!_ What the _hell?!_ ” and lifted her gun - aiming right at Goldie’s head.

Scrooge reacted immediately - he swung his cane up and smacked it into her wrists, sending the gun flying through the air. She didn’t even have time to react to that before he took the briefcase and hit her in the back of the head, sending her flying head-first into the wall and knocking her out.

“ _Joan!_ ” the other kidnapper shouted before Goldie removed the spike from his foot - making him scream in pain as the blood started to pour out onto the ground. She took the opportunity to headbutt him with the back of her head - several times, in fact - until he went limp and she could move away from the wall and let him slump to the floor.

After assessing the blood splatter covering her shoes and bottom of her pants, Goldie finally looked up to see Scrooge staring at her with an expression she hadn’t seen in years. He looked so, _so_ relieved and happy to see her that she foolishly felt her heart flutter just the tiniest bit.

“Hey, Scroogey,” she said with a smirk. “Did you come all this way just to save me? How sweet.”

Rather than quip back at her, Scrooge quickly crossed the room and took her face in his hands, pulling her beak to his for a long kiss. With her arms still tied to the chair, she couldn’t reciprocate as much as she wanted to, but Goldie pushed herself as close to him as she could anyway.

He pulled away from her beak and pushed her hair back on one side, looking over her feathers at her injuries. She was literally _covered_ in bruises, and there was a shallow gash along her neck that looked particularly painful.

“You should’ve left him for me,” Scrooge said while hovering over her wounds. “He deserves worse.”

Goldie laughed and kissed him briefly. “Stop trying to be my hero and just untie me, will you?”

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek while reaching around to take care of the ropes. “Part of me thinks I should keep you like this for a little while, still.”

“You can tie me up again back at your place if you’d like, Hon-”

“Oh, will you two _stop._ ” Beakley scowled from the other side of the room.

Goldie and Scrooge both turned around, surprised to see her there and holding both of the kidnapper’s guns and their phones. They’d been a bit too distracted by one another to notice another presence arriving in the room, which...wasn’t great. Beakley would probably scold him about that later.

Scrooge finally got the ropes untied and Goldie glared at him. “Why the hell is _she_ here?!” She moved to stand up and her knees immediately gave out - sending her into Scrooge’s arms.

“I came to help rescue you, shockingly enough,” Beakley said with an eye roll. “So can we get _moving_ already?”

Goldie pushed herself out of his arms and huffed. “Couldn’t save me on your own, hm?”

Scrooge glared at her. “Oh, shut up and come here.” He was exasperated with her attitude towards Beakley and chose to cover her mouth with another kiss instead.

Goldie squeezed his shoulders and considered pushing him away, but the sound of Beakley’s disgusted groan made her smirk and melt into the kiss a bit more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn’t object to his hands resting on her hips. It was nice to see him again, she supposed, even with the unnecessary audience.

Beakley pinched the space between her eyes and wished her employer could’ve tried having a less complicated love life. Not that the hatred O’Gilt felt for her wasn’t mutual, but the animosity was just annoying at this point.

Suddenly, and simultaneously, Beakley was hit over the head with the briefcase while Scrooge and Goldie were violently shoved to the ground. The kidnappers took the opportunity to flee together towards the stairs.

“Hey! Come back here, you little-” Goldie shouted towards them, but the one she’d stabbed earlier turned around at the bottom of the stairs and pulled a box of matches out of his pocket.

“We have your stupid check, so you can burn up down here for all I care!” He lit one of the matches and posed himself to drop it - making the three ducks wonder if they’d prepared for this.

“The check is fake, you idiots!” Scrooge shouted back, and Beakley groaned and slapped a hand onto her forehead. “I’m not payin’ a trillion dollars to some stupid gun-toting numpties!”

“They asked for a _trillion?_ ” Goldie glared. “I know I’m worth a lot to you, but that’s a bit excessive.”

“If that’s how it’s gonna be - then we’re taking Dickie for real!” the man shouted, dropping the match onto the ground. “Bring the money this time or she’s _dead!_ ”

“Wh-!? _NO!_ ” Goldie crawled her way and started rushing towards the stairs - but the match hit a clearly planned line of gasoline and quickly roared into a wall of flames blocking their exit. “Don’t you _dare_ touch her! I’ll _kill_ you, you-!!”

“Goldie! Stop!” Scrooge grabbed her arm and pulled her back away from the fire. “Beakley, we need to put this out _now!_ ”

Beakley was already on it, grabbing piles of dirt and sand and smothering the fire as best as she could. Scrooge quickly joined her, but Goldie had her fists clenched and glared up the stairs.

“Oh, screw this!!” she shouted before crossing her arms over her face and running towards the flames.

“Goldie, stop!!!” Scrooge reached an arm out towards her, but she’d already jumped through the fire and was coughing and sucking in a pained groan through her teeth. “ _Goldie!!!”_

“I’m fine!! Just-...I have to stop them!” she shouted back, heading up the stairs and leaving Scrooge and Beakley to fend for themselves.

Scrooge huffed and started kicking dirt at the fire. They were lucky these idiot kidnappers hadn’t planned some gunpower-laced explosion for them.

“Who is _Dickie?_ ” Beakley asked after another five minutes of digging as the flames started to finally die down.

“I have absolutely no idea.” Scrooge started stomping down on the remaining embers. “But whoever she is, we willnae let these villains hurt her.”


	3. Dawson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where is she?” Goldie said, not caring to answer any of their stupid questions. “If you hurt a single hair on her head I swear to fucking God, I will-”
> 
> “Our demands haven’t changed. One trillion dollars. No cops.”
> 
> “Where?!” Goldie shouted, squeezing the phone a little too hard. “Give us a location, you idiot pieces of-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, no beta, let me know if you see a typo! I'm crazy sleepy right now I could've missed a lot.

When Scrooge and Beakley finally exited the mausoleum, they found Goldie laying on her back in a patch of grassless dirt. The grass had clearly very recently been torn out of the ground and was scattered all over the area.

“Goldie.”

“ _What?_ ”

“What are you doin'?”

She groaned and sat herself up, glaring at them. “I’m _wallowing_ , obviously! They got in the stupid jeep and took off!”

Scrooge looked over at Beakley, who was already procuring a ride for them on one of their cell phones. Good thing she knew to grab them before the kidnappers got up. He walked over to Goldie and stuck out his hand to help her up, but she ignored it and stood up by herself.

“You could’ve helped us get out of there, y'know.”

She threw her hands up in frustration. “Oh, please. You’re _Scrooge McDuck!_ What’s a little fire in a creepy dungeon that I’ve spent the last day _trapped_ in?”

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him, trying to get a look at her arms without her noticing. “Someday that excuse willnae work and you really will leave me for dead, y'know that?”

Goldie scoffed. “Not if you have Bentina the Bruiser with you. Your little bodyguard can keep you safe, Old Man.” She tried to turn away, but Scrooge grabbed her elbows and pulled her towards him. “ _What?_ ”

He stared into her eyes and sighed, moving his hands further up her arm. “Beakley’s gettin' us a ride. But...just-! ...who is _Dickie?”_

Goldie turned her head and avoided looking into his eyes. “Dickie’s...someone important. And she’s just a kid, alright? She needs my help!”

“...alright,” Scrooge said softly, trying to get her attention back on him. “We’ll help her. These idiots donae know what they’re doin', I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“She’s not like us, Scrooge, she’s not a fighter!” Goldie grumbled. “She doesn’t have protection or money or- or anything! We need to get to the Blackjack Hotel _now!_ ”

He desperately wanted to ask who this person was again. _‘Someone important’_ was so vague that he knew there was something she was hiding, but Scrooge didn’t have a clue of what it could be. Some descendant of the O’Gilt family line? A hotel employee? Maybe it was one of her many adventuring contacts. Maybe...someone else entirely.

“Launchpad will be here momentarily,” Beakley said, walking up to the two of them and crossing her arms over her chest. “Are we headed to Dawson, then?”

“Obviously,” Goldie grunted, pulling out of Scrooge’s grasp and glaring out at the graveyard around them. She took a few cleansing breaths and decided to spend the time before their ride showed up looking through the headstones.

“...thank you, Twenty-Two,” Scrooge said, staring at Goldie instead of looking up at the woman he was speaking to. “All she said is that Dickie is someone important to her and she cannae defend herself.”

“A civilian, then,” Beakley chimed in. “This might be the right time to call the police. Or at least let me contact someone at S.H.U.S.H.”

“No.” He shook his head. “We need to be smart about this. They’ll probably only let _me_ go near them next time.”

Beakley was about to argue when Scrooge started to walk towards Goldie, who just sat down in front of a headstone and was staring at it intensely. She scoffed and walked closer to the road so Launchpad would find them faster.

“Who is it?” Scrooge asked quietly, stopping right next to her.

“...a friend.” Goldie reached out her hand and brushed her fingers over the name. “She wasn’t _you_ , but...she was special.”

He didn’t question that - instead he chose to be a bit flattered by her wording - and put a hand on her shoulder. “...we’ve been alive for a long time, haven’t we?”

Goldie let out a short, harsh laugh. “That’s the understatement of the year.”

Scrooge glanced around the nearby headstones, seeing a few names he recognized. “Do you ever think it’s been too long?”

“No.”

He looked down at her, surprised by the quick answer.

“I still have too many things to do.”

Scrooge took his hand off her shoulder and almost got the chance to ask what she meant when his thoughts were cut off by the sounds of the Sun Chaser. Launchpad landed right down on the graveyard and they - Beakley in particular - wished they had time to complain.

Launchpad opened up the door and waved. “Hey Mrs. B! Mr. McD! Mr. McD’s girlfriend!”

Scrooge huffed out a breath and grabbed Goldie’s hand, dragging her towards the plane before she could make some comment about that. Beakley quickly got on board, giving Launchpad the exact coordinates of their (hopefully) final stop of the day before heading back home.

“We should be there in a little over an hour,” Beakley calculated as they started their short journey to Dawson.

Goldie was grumbling and tapping her fingers against her knee while Scrooge was still trying to look her over for injuries. She was stubbornly, but not unexpectedly, refusing to let Beakley bandage up the gash on her neck or any of the worse-looking scratches.

“You could at least take a shower,” Scrooge suggested. “Clean yourself up.”

“Only if you come with me, Hon.” She gave Scrooge a cheeky smile and he blushed, knowing that Beakley and Launchpad were listening to every word. “You can...-!” Goldie cut herself off at a sudden realization. “Your phone! Give me your phone!”

He blinked and grabbed it, letting the blonde yank it out of his hand. “Where’s _your_ phone?”

“Don’t know. They took it,” she mumbled, quickly typing in some numbers. “Come on, come on...pick up!”

Scrooge watched helplessly as Goldie’s expression went from hopeful to desperate to despaired as the ringing continued. Whether she was calling the hotel or this Dickie person...they weren’t picking up. And that was a good sign that something was wrong.

“They couldn’t have gotten to Dawson that quickly, Goldie, I’m sure she's just not with her phone…”

“Well, that’d be a goddamn first!” She started dialing another number. As she waited for someone to pick up, she growled to Beakley: “There’s no way they could’ve gotten there this fast, right?”

“It’s not likely, especially with the state of their car. But they could be working with others who were already in the area,” she pointed out matter-of-factly.

Goldie seethed and angrily threw the phone at the ground when no one picked up again.

“Hey-!” Scrooge reached down and observed the screen, seeing no damage. Good thing he still had an old flip phone instead of one of those crappily-made Waddle smartphones. “Havin' a tantrum won’t help your friend.”

“She’s not my _friend,_ ” Goldie grumbled, lifting her legs onto the seat with a small amount of difficulty and wrapping her arms around them.

Scrooge glared at her as she closed her eyes. He didn’t think she’d try to sleep, though it’d be a better use of her time than anything else. He didn’t understand who Dickie was and it was frustrating him that Goldie was keeping it a secret. He was _going_ to find out. She had to be aware of that. What was so troubling about this girl that she’d stretch out the mystery for an extra hour or two? Unless she was planning to take Dickie and book it the moment they got her. It wouldn’t be the first time Goldie had left him with questions unanswered, but this time he would follow her until he knew. There was just some part of him that felt like Dickie might have more to do with him than Goldie was letting on.

They continued the journey in relative silence. Goldie was still pretending to be sleep, and even if she wasn’t they probably wouldn’t be getting any answers out of her.

When the small town was visible in the distance, Goldie jumped out of her seat and ran up next to Launchpad - squinting at her hotel to see if there was any visible damage from there. Nothing was on fire, at the very least, but she was clearly anxious as they got closer.

“Land here!” Goldie screamed in the pilot’s ear, throwing him off-balance and sending the Sun Chaser corralling into the ground. The impact sent Scrooge and Beakley to the floor, while Goldie managed to grab onto the control panel for balance.

Launchpad rubbed his aching head and turned around to assess the damage to his passengers. “Mr. McD, I think we can all agree that this crash was a shared effort between me and-” He lifted a hand to motion to Goldie, but the woman was gone. “Um.”

Scrooge shook his head and rushed towards the exit - completely used to Goldie’s inability to communicate with her peers. A simple _‘Let’s move!’_ wouldn’t have been so hard, but that was Goldie for you.

Beakley followed behind after scolding Launchpad on his landing and took an extra few seconds to check out any damage to the plane. It was relatively unharmed, though it wasn’t in perfect shape to begin with after Launchpad smacked into that cruise ship earlier in the day. She supposed he was used to this sort of thing, though she would never understand that.

When Scrooge made it inside, his heart dropped. The place had been ransacked - there were shards of broken glass and pottery all over the floor and papers thrown every which way. He could hear Goldie shouting Dickie’s name in the distance, and there was no one responding. In fact, the hotel seemed deserted - there was no one at the front desk and he hadn’t seen any guests screaming and running from the building.

He walked over to the desk to see if the attackers had left a note behind. As he leaned over, he noticed small brown tail feathers sticking out from underneath and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hello? Are you alright?”

The girl poked her head out and stared up at him for a moment before quickly crawling back onto her desk chair. “A...are you Scrooge McDuck?”

“Aye. And you’re the girl from the phone call?”

“Linda.” She paused at the sound of her boss screaming in the distance. “I guess you found Goldie, then.”

“Linda, what happened?” Scrooge motioned all around him. “Did they get Dickie?”

She clenched her jaw and tapped her fingers anxiously on her arms. “Yeah...yeah I’m pretty sure they did. These two _huge_ guys showed up and started tearing everything apart and then started screaming for Dickie and at that point I was already hiding and typing up my last will and testament on Twitter just in case they found me and slit my throat and then I heard stomping and the elevator pinged and I heard Dickie’s voice and she screamed and I didn’t really know what to do since Goldie still isn’t answering her phone and all the other shit that’s been happening said not to involve the police so I didn’t want to agitate them in case they’d hurt Dickie even more or kill Goldie or you or -”

Scrooge squeezed her beak shut and sighed, rubbing his temple with his free hand. “Alright, got it.” He let go of her and she nodded silently in response, flinching when the doors opened again. “We’re too late, they took her already.”

“Mr. McDuck,” Beakley started, walking up to him. “Are you _sure_ you don’t want to involve the police or S.H.U.S.H.?”

“I’m sure.” Scrooge sighed and looked at the mess that used to be the Blackjack Hotel’s lobby. “This is going to take forever to clean.”

“Linda!”

They all jumped at Goldie’s voice booming over the balcony above, and Scrooge practically had a heart attack when the woman jumped over and landed right on the desk between him and her employee.

“Where’s Dickie?”

“I-”

“They took her, Goldie,” Scrooge interrupted, not wanting to hear Linda’s ramblings again. She just had a traumatic experience, he understood that, but it didn’t mean he was gonna listen to her talk forever. “We cannae exactly do anything until we find a note or get a phone call.”

Goldie slumped down onto her butt and muttered a desolate “ _fuck,_ ” before laying her head in her hands. She shook her head and stabbed her fingers into her feathers, clearly trying to calm herself down.

Everyone around her felt terribly awkward - Beakley motioned at Linda to follow her and they started looking through the pieces of paper to see if there was any clues to Dickie’s whereabouts left behind. Scrooge, meanwhile, managed to power through the feeling of his joints cracking and aching so he could sit up on the desk next to Goldie.

“...we’ll find her, alright? She’ll be fine.”

Goldie huffed. “Don’t patronize me, Scrooge. She’s been _kidnapped._ ‘Fine’ is already off the board. At this point, she’ll be lucky if we find her alive.”

“Well, they certainly won’t get any money if they kill her.” Scrooge looked over at her, taking note of the burns all over the feathers on her arms. “So we can -”

He was cut off by his phone ringing - a noise so loud and sudden that it caught everyone’s attention. He looked down at the caller ID before opening and squinted. “Goldie...how are _you_ callin' me right now?”

She glared and punched him in the arm, grabbing his phone. “That’s the kidnappers, you dolt!”

Scrooge rubbed his arm while Goldie opened up his phone and pressed the speakerphone button, Linda and Beakley crowding around them to listen in.

“Scrooge McDuck?”

“Where is she?” Goldie said, not caring to answer any of their stupid questions. “If you hurt a single hair on her head I swear to _fucking_ God, I will-”

“Our demands haven’t changed. One trillion dollars. No cops.”

“ _Where?!_ ” Goldie shouted, squeezing the phone a little too hard. “Give us a location, you idiot pieces of-”

“Whitehorse.”

As soon as they said the name, Goldie tossed the phone back at Scrooge and headed towards the plane. Scrooge stared down at the phone. “...anything else?”

“No bodyguard this time. Only you and your mouthy girlfriend can come. You’ve got five hours.”

Scrooge grunted as the phone line clicked, shoving the phone back into his pocket. “Twenty-Two, could you stay here and help Linda clean up a bit?”

“You’re actually going to do what they say?”

“They only got away before ‘cause Goldie and I were...distracted,” Scrooge explained, trying not to give any details to the nosy millennial standing in front of him. “We’ll be fine this time around.”

“Just make sure to call me with any updates.” Beakley crossed her arms and glared down at him. “I’m sure O’Gilt is already on the plane trying to force Launchpad to take off, so you should hurry up and get to her.”

Scrooge nodded and gave a curt bow to Linda before rushing out of the building and towards the Sun Chaser at the end of the block. As expected, the engine was already running, and he could see Goldie screaming at a terrified Launchpad in the cockpit above him.

It seemed this time the kidnappers were using their brains - his bank in Whitehorse wouldn’t have a _trillion_ dollars, but at least he could take out enough cash to fake them out while he and Goldie escaped with Dickie. So long as everything went smoothly, this whole dramatic nonsense could be done with by the end of the day.


	4. Whitehorse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Let’s go, Scrooge, what’s the hold up?” Goldie grumbled and reached for the handle.
> 
> “I’m just decidin’ how best to...go about this,” he said while putting a hand over hers. “They have guns, Goldie, we need to be careful!”
> 
> “They aren’t the only ones,” she mumbled quietly and moved past him to open the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know if you see any typos!

He didn’t want to try chatting with her this time around. Goldie was still insistent on pretending there was nothing to discuss, so he’d just live with that. For now.

Launchpad’s flying was always enough of a distraction, anyway. After Goldie stopped yelling at him to step on it, she settled into a seat and started playing with her hair and scratching at her singed feathers. Without a phone or a book to keep her hands busy, she felt the anxiety of the last two days creep up on her. Even Scrooge, in all his cluelessness about other people’s feelings, could see that she was starting to unravel.

“We’ll be there in an hour. She’ll be fine,” Scrooge offered quietly.

Goldie scoffed and huddled in on herself. “You can keep saying that, but it doesn’t make it true. The past few days haven’t exactly been shining for me, so it wouldn’t surprise me if things just kept getting worse!”

“I willnae let it get worse.” Scrooge walked over and sat in the seat next to hers. He hesitantly reached a hand out and laid it on top of hers, fully expecting her to pull away.

She stayed still and silent - not looking over at him or responding to his promise.

He gently rubbed at her knuckles. “Goldie...it’ll be at least a half hour til we arrive...can I, um...”

“...I’m  _ really _ not in the mood,” she turned to glare at him.

Scrooge blushed and slapped a hand against his forehead. “Not  _ that! _ Just...will you let me look over your burns now? There’s a first aid kit over here.”

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m fine, you don’t-”

“ _ Goldie. _ ”

“Ugh, yes, okay, whatever!” Goldie rolled her eyes at him. “Just don’t get all weird and medical on me. I’ve seen your attempts at health care and I don’t want any part of it.”

He chuckled despite the insult and moved to grab the first aid kit. Bandages, alcohol wipes, pain meds...everything he needed was still there. Launchpad somehow never seemed to get injured in all his crashes, so who else was going to use them?

Goldie stuck out her arm when he sat back down and he lightly tapped his fingers over the singed feathers. Goldie hissed at the initial touch, but quieted down and closed her eyes.

Scrooge didn’t say anything as he wiped over the marks and gathered up the bandages. He started rolling one around her arm as a thought came to mind.

“Why didnae the Eye of Demogorgon protect you from this?”

Goldie let out a loud, singular laugh and leaned her head against the back of the seat. “Lost it in a card game.”

“You _lost_ _it?!_ ” Scrooge tugged on her bandage a little too tight in his surprise.

“Ow! I can always get it back at our next game, naturally...I’m just letting Agni enjoy this temporary victory.”

He stared at her for another minute and smiled, deciding not to comment on Goldie playing cards with a god. “You truly are one-of-a-kind, Goldie Girl.”

She finally looked over at him as he finished up bandaging and felt her chest tighten just the smallest bit. Stupid Scrooge.

\--

They’d settled into idle chatter for the rest of the trip - Scrooge was happy to get Goldie’s mind off her mystery-person-related anxieties, and Goldie was feeling more energized to kick some pig ass and get Dickie back safely.

Shockingly, Launchpad did land on the airport runway - it was still quite the crash landing, but the right location was always an improvement! Once again, Scrooge had him stay behind to fix up any damages so they could take off immediately when they got back.

The walk from the airport to Scrooge’s oh-so-infamous bank wasn’t long, though the kidnappers hadn’t specified, he was confident they’d be in there waiting for them to arrive. He was glad banking hours were over or they’d have to deal with a multiple-hostage situation instead of just...Dickie.

Not that that was any sort of comfort to Goldie, but he felt like their chances at saving just one duck were very good.

Unsurprisingly, when they walked up to the bank, the door was slightly ajar and they could see a light on near the vault entrance. Scrooge sighed.

“Let’s go, Scrooge, what’s the hold up?” Goldie grumbled and reached for the handle.

“I’m just decidin’ how best to...go about this,” he said while putting a hand over hers. “They have guns, Goldie, we need to be careful!”

“They aren’t the only ones,” she mumbled quietly and moved past him to open the door.

The bank was quiet and dark aside from the light in the back, and the sound of the front door’s bell set the kidnappers into motion.

Scrooge and Goldie stepped past the bank teller counter as the kidnappers appeared on either side of the vault - the pig that Goldie stabbed in the foot holding Dickie by her hair.

Goldie felt her blood boil as she looked at Dickie - there were bruises on her arms and face and a bandana covering her beak. She looked more scared than Goldie had ever seen before.

“I’m sorry, Kid, just...just hold on,” Goldie said quietly - waiting for Dickie to lightly nod her head in affirmation.

“We thought it’d be easier to get out your money here,” the kidnapper holding Dickie commented. He used his pistol to motion at the vault. “So let’s get cracking.”

“You cannae honestly think there’s a  _ trillion _ dollars in there!” Scrooge laughed. “You two cannae be this stupid.”

“Shut the fuck up!” the kidnapper holding Dickie yelled. He shoved the barrel of the gun against the girl’s temple and scowled while she whimpered. “Open the vault and we’re taking  _ all of it! _ ”

“Dickie!” Goldie shouted. She turned to Scrooge and angrily shoved him. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“I’m not givin’ them my money!” Scrooge whispered, rubbing his arm where she hit him.

“You-!” Goldie clenched her fists and groaned. “Fine! Whatever! I’ll pay it!” She looked at the kidnappers and tried to not think about how terrified Dickie must be. “I’ve got at least a trillion in liquid gold, just let me write a check or something and let the kid go!”

“No!” the second kidnapper finally spoke up, her voice shrill and scratchy. “It has to come from Scrooge McDuck! He owes us!”

“Oh, for the love of-! How could I owe you  _ that?! _ ” Scrooge yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. “I dinnae know who you are and I’ve certainly never promised a  _ trillion dollars _ to anyone!”

“It’s not a  _ promise _ , you stupid, old-!! It’s a  _ debt!” _

The kidnappers aggressively removed their hoods and their shaggy black hair popped against their pink skin, looking more than familiar to the old bags in front of them. “You borrowed five dollars from Soapy Slick in 1898 and we’re here to collect on that loan with all one hundred and twenty-one years of interest!”

“Soapy... _ what?! _ ” Scrooge shook his head. “I repaid that debt  _ in the same year _ ! And who the hell are you two?! His grandkids?”

“His  _ great _ grandkids,” the boy answered gruffly. “Joe and Joan Slick. And our papa told us all about your fake receipt and unpaid debt!”

Joan pointed her gun right at Scrooge. “Our father and his father both promised Great Grandpa Soapy that they’d get his money, but neither of them ever had the balls to actually do it!”

Joe tightened his grip on Dickie’s hair, making her wince and whimper again. “So here we are. Collecting on his behalf. So get us the money or this girl is getting a bullet through her brain!”

Scrooge stared open-mouthed at the kidnappers. “...are you  _ serious?! _ ”

Goldie punched his arm again. “Will you stop agitating them?! You’re the one who needs to take this seriously!”

“Well, I’m seriously pissed!” Scrooge growled. “I  _ paid _ that debt! I still have the goddamn receipt! Slick tried to steal this money from me back in the 40s, too, but he didnae get it then and his stupid kids arenae getting it now!”

Dickie cried out as Joe loudly and dramatically undid the safety on his gun, shoving it hard enough against the side of her head to leave a bruise.

Goldie huffed and glared, closing her eyes for a moment as she made a choice. “God...I still can’t believe someone  _ slept _ with him,” she mumbled, reaching down into one of her khaki pockets. “Soapy was...well, disgusting, to say the least.”

“Now who’s the one not takin’ this seriously?” Scrooge grumbled. “Will you hurry up and-”

Scrooge was cut off by the sound of two gunshots - one immediately after the other - ringing in his ears. He could barely hear the screams coming from Goldie’s latest victims as he tried to compose himself.

Both Joe and Joan were crying in agony over the state of their hands - where they were once holding pistols there were now clean holes blasted through their palms. Scrooge grimaced in disgust at the sight and looked over to see Dickie crawling towards Goldie, who immediately untied the gag around her beak and started petting her hair down. He rolled his shoulders and stepped closer to the Slick kids, smacking the first pistol he saw with his cane and watching as it slid to the other side of the room.

The other pistol, however, was in Joan Slick’s still-functioning hand. And rather than aim it at Scrooge, she had it trained right on Dickie, who was whimpering in Goldie’s arms.

“ _ Goldie! _ ” Scrooge shouted - he lunged forward and tried to use his cane to smack the gun out of the pig’s hand, but he was too late and a shot had already been fired.

His cane finally made contact with her wrist - sending the smoking gun flying and (based on the cracking sound) breaking a few bones. She cried out as Scrooge turned to see the damage behind him.

Goldie had shoved Dickie to the ground thanks to Scrooge’s warning, but based on the growing puddle of red underneath them, someone had still been hit.

“G-Granny…?” Dickie whimpered.

Scrooge felt his heart drop. He started walking towards them, his hand shaking as he considered the possibility that he messed up worse than ever before.

“...urgh, I’m fine, I’m  _ fine! _ ” Goldie groaned, lifting herself up and gripping a hand around her right shoulder. She sat on her knees and brought her hand down, glaring at it and seeing it drenched in her own blood. “It looks worse than it is, I promise.”

Dickie nodded and sniffed, eternally grateful to be out of immediate danger, but still not feeling totally safe. She looked over at Scrooge, who made brief eye contact with her before flinching and turning around to check on the kidnappers again.

The boy had passed out - from blood loss, most likely - while the girl was whining and crying and cursing them out for taking away the use of her hands. They wouldn’t be a problem for the time being, though it wouldn’t hurt to alert the local authorities.

Goldie came up next to him, still holding her badly bleeding shoulder, and glared down at the girl, who had finally shut her mouth and had resigned herself to stewing in her own miserable failure. Goldie lifted a leg and pressed her boot against Joan’s head, shoving her into the wall.

“My phone.”

Joan squirmed and whimpered out in pain, which made Goldie push harder. Scrooge turned away, not comfortable with the sight, only to see Dickie shakily standing up behind them.

“I-it’s in the guy’s pocket,” Dickie said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Goldie huffed and removed her boot from Joan’s face, but not before giving her one last angry shove into the wall. “Thanks,” she said quietly as she grabbed her phone out of Joe’s pocket, stepping over the puddle of blood that formed under his hand.

“Goldie, your shoulder...” Scrooge mumbled. “It’s bleedin’ a  _ lot. _ ”

“I’m aware,” she snapped. “It’s just a bad graze. It didn’t go through.”

He glared at her and sighed, looking over at Dickie again. “Dickie, right?”

“Mmhmm,” she nodded awkwardly.

“Do you, um…” He looked over at Goldie, who was already headed towards the door. “Where do you want me to take you?”

She followed his eyes to see her grandmother over by the exit, grumbling about her shirt being ruined. “Um…my apartment..” She sniffed and wrapped her arms around herself again. “...please.”

Scrooge patted her arm and sighed. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The kidnappers identities are revealed! References this comic:  
> https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Uncle-Scrooge-1953/Issue-278?id=58426#2


	5. Calisota U

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scrooge glared. “...I told you about Della.”
> 
> She froze for a moment. “This isn’t like that.”
> 
> “Then tell me what it is like.” He reached over and touched her arm. “What happened to your daughter?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes a rewrite of a fic I posted previously. If you've read it then there's not much changes BUT if you haven't read it then please enjoy lol It's just a small part of the chapter BUT STILL
> 
> As always, lemme know if you see typos or anything weird!

Discovering that such an important person in Goldie’s life lived right in downtown Duckburg wasn’t as shocking to Scrooge as it should’ve been. She was a student at Calisota University, which wasn’t even a half hour drive from the mansion, and her apartment building was just a few blocks down the road.

The trip back to Duckburg was relatively silent and extremely uncomfortable for everyone. Goldie was looking more tired and pale than ever thanks to all the blood she’d lost and Dickie was fussing over her with bandages and water.

Scrooge couldn’t tear his eyes away from them. From Goldie and her...granddaughter.

_ Granddaughter. _

The follow-up questions were too obvious. And Goldie wouldn’t be able to run away from them - he was getting answers this time.

“Granny, you should probably get some rest,” Dickie muttered, leaning carefully over her grandmother. “You’ve had kind of a long day…”

“Not on your life,” Goldie groaned. “This was just another Tuesday for me.”

Scrooge didn’t comment and continued to stare at, feeling a draw to Dickie that he knew he needed to ignore until his questions were answered. They’d often spent much longer than nine months apart, so it wasn’t unreasonable to assume, but...even though Goldie was a liar and a thief, she wouldn’t keep a  _ family _ from him, would she?

As that thought ran through his head, Goldie looked over and they made brief eye contact. She looked like she was barely there, too tired and drained to deal with all of Dickie’s comments and probably in a lot of pain that she didn’t want to admit to being in.

He sighed and used his cane to stand up and walk over to the girls - Dickie nervously looked up at him. “You should both get some sleep.”

“...yeah, maybe,” Dickie mumbled, looking back down. Goldie didn’t say anything as Dickie proceeded to get up and walk towards the front. “I’m gonna try one of those comfier chairs, so...if you guys need to  _ talk _ or something, I won’t be listening.”

Goldie rolled her eyes and groaned while Scrooge watched the girl walk away. He sat down next to Goldie and took off his hat, setting it down. “We  _ do _ need to talk, Goldie.”

“ _ Need _ is purely subjective,” she muttered. “I’d say I need peace and quiet.”

“Well I  _ need _ to know if that lass is my granddaughter!” Scrooge spit out, a little harsher than he meant to be.

Goldie stayed silent with her eyes closed. She didn’t want to have this conversation  _ ever _ , let alone right after she’d been shot. “...she’s not.”

Scrooge loudly let out a breath he’d been holding. “Then...who...?” He couldn’t even finish the question without feeling a little foolish.

She groaned and pushed herself into a proper upright seated position before turning to glare at him. “What does it matter? It’s not you, so it’s not really your business!”

He glared back, feeling a lot of ugly words rising in his throat. “Fine! You dinnae want to tell me, why should I care?” Scrooge stood up and stomped back to the other side of the plane, continuing to glare at Goldie the entire time. He got his answer. That was what he wanted. And this meant she hadn’t kept his family from him. That was  _ good. _ And she was right...whoever she’d decided to actually have a kid with, it wasn’t really his business.

Realizing he was jealous of a faceless man made him even angrier. Maybe  _ he _ was the one who needed to get some sleep. But as he watched Goldie start to drift off, he couldn’t stop thinking about...Goldie having a child. And judging from Dickie’s age, it couldn’t have been more than fifty or sixty years ago. What was  _ he _ doing then? 

And then he was stuck wondering if she had a whole second life that he knew absolutely nothing about. With kids or, or a husband or…

Scrooge shook his head. There was no way. She wouldn’t-...she lied about a lot of things, but…

He felt his heart swell with doubt. He knew she loved him, but her loyalty was a very different story. And with that thought plaguing his mind, Scrooge knew he wasn’t going to be falling asleep anytime soon.

* * *

“Mr. McDuck?”

Scrooge awoke groggily, wondering what happened. Last thing he remembered was being awake and paranoid and upset, but suddenly Dickie was shaking his arm.

“Hmmm?” He rolled around a bit and blinked his eyes.

“I just wanted to say thanks before leaving,” Dickie said, tugging at her hair. “I’m still not really sure what happened today, but...thank you for helping my Granny.”

Scrooge shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. “Leavin’?” He stretched and looked around the room, not seeing Goldie anywhere. “I’d like to see your apartment, actually, if that’s alright. I want to make sure it’s safe.”

“Safe?” Dickie frowned and stood up straight, looking out the open door of the plane. “Do you think those people might’ve...booby trapped my apartment?!”

“I don’t know, Lass,” Scrooge rubbed the top of his head and realized his hat was missing. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

She nodded and they headed out the door. Scrooge took note that Launchpad had parked the plane in the middle of a busy street - fortunately it was the middle of the night so traffic was at a minimum. But still...he needed to explain to him that using hazard lights didn’t mean you could just park anywhere.

Speaking of, as they entered the building, Launchpad was coming down and he handed Dickie a key. “Miss OG’s still asleep, so I just put her on your couch! She looked  _ really _ comfy, so I didn’t wanna wake her up!”

“That’s cool, thanks,” Dickie said, stuffing the key back into her pocket.

She headed towards the elevator and Scrooge grabbed Launchpad’s arm before he could get away. “Take the plane home, will you? And I’ll call when you can come by in the car.”

“Sure thing, Mr. McD!”

“And do you know where my hat went?” Scrooge pat the top of his head again, hoping his bald spot wasn’t visible.

“Your, uh, ‘not-girlfriend’ has it,” Launchpad laughed. “She was holding on so tight, I figured you wouldn’t mind!”

Scrooge raised an eyebrow and nodded, letting the pilot finally leave and moving to catch up with Dickie. She probably just wanted to get back into her bed after such a stressful day; wouldn’t be good to keep her waiting.

The elevator pinged just as he arrived, and Dickie rubbed at her eyes before stepping on. He followed and silently watched her press the button for the 6th floor.

“So...what are you studyin’ in school?”

Dickie stared at him and blinked a few times before responding. “Well...when I started I was going for acting, but I switched my major to journalism last year.”

“You know-”

“And then I decided to double major in journalism and photography, but  _ then _ I started to get back into music ‘cause I was in a band in high school so I figured I could jump back into it with no problem, but it turns out playing guitar is  _ not _ like riding a bike - it’s not as easy as I remembered! So I started taking some music classes, too, and now I’ve almost taken enough for a triple major!”

Scrooge didn’t respond for a few seconds. “That’s...quite the repertoire. No classes in the McDuck School of Business, then?”

“Nahhh,” she said with a shrug. The elevator pinged again and Scrooge followed her to her door. “I’ve worked enough retail to know it’s not for me.”

Scrooge huffed and hmmed, holding back complaints about how kids these days are wasting their time with music and photography, and absent-mindedly listened to Dickie talk about her lack of interest in business until she opened her door.

His eyes were drawn right to the figure sprawled out on the couch - Goldie looked miserable and pale and she was clutching his hat like a life preserver. His heart pumped a little louder in his chest as he stared at her.

“She’s really out of it,” Dickie mumbled. “I heard you guys fighting after I left...are you okay?”

Scrooge shook his head and shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s nothin’ unusual for us. Just…” He looked over at the girl and noticed a concerned expression on her face. “...don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine.”

Dickie nodded and walked over to give her grandmother a quick peck on the head before heading into her room. “I’ll let you know if I see anything weird!”

He waited until the door was fully closed before walking over to the couch and sitting down next to Goldie’s feet. Her clothes were all torn and dirty and bloody and he should get Launchpad to grab some of Della’s clothes before coming to get them.

...assuming that Goldie was coming back to the mansion with him. He wasn’t sure where they stood at that moment or if Goldie had slept on this couch before and was planning to stay here while she healed. If she even planned to rest and heal properly! Which seemed unlikely. She wasn’t someone who stayed in one place for very long.

Or at least, that’s what he thought. He was starting to question a lot of things he thought he knew about her.

He grabbed the blanket that was hanging over the back of the couch and gently laid it over her during his internal argument. She stirred a bit and he froze, but after a few moments it was clear she was fully awake again. “...Scrooge?”

“Goldie.”

Eyes still closed and still clutching onto his hat, she sighed. “Where are we?”

“Your  _ granddaughter’s _ apartment.”

She loosened her grip on the hat and tried to sit up, loudly sucking in air through her teeth as the pain from her shoulder shot through her arm. Scrooge didn’t move to stop her, still a little mad at her and also recognizing the pointlessness of trying to tell her what to do.

He continued to silently stare as Goldie played with the partially squished top hat still in her hands. It didn’t seem like she was going to start this conversation up again, so he’d have to take matters into his own hands.

“We need to talk.”

“Do we?”

“Even if I’m not her grandfather...I’d like to help her.”

Goldie quickly turned and gave him a suspicious look. “Help her with what?”

“Payin’ for school. Or her apartment.”

“I’ve got that covered, Moneybags. I’m not exactly in the poorhouse, here.”

He sighed and scratched the top of his leg. “Then...at least let me check up on her for you. She’s a lot closer to me than to you and I can keep her safe from things like...like today.”

“Oh, come on,” Goldie said and finally tossed his hat back towards him. “She’s not your concern, Scrooge. Just keep your focus on your own family, alright?”

“If she’s your family, then she’s my family,” Scrooge corrected, blushing a bit. “Assumin’ her grandfather’s not around anymore...I wouldn’t mind steppin’ in.”

Goldie made a  _ tsk _ sound at the mention of a grandfather and Scrooge felt like he’d crossed a line. But dammit, he was  _ curious! _

“Of course you’d say that,” she groaned. “Of  _ course _ .”

“Goldie-”

“I was handling it  _ fine _ all on my own, alright? For years I’ve been paying for her and taking care of her and I background checked her old roommates and I did all the stuff I’m supposed to do!” She moved a hand to squeeze her injured shoulder again and sighed. “I thought I could handle this, too, but obviously one person just isn’t enough.”

He scooted a little bit closer to her on the couch. “It’s not a crime to need help. You know I’ll always be there for you if you need me.”

She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the couch. “...I should’ve been there for her mother, too. But I wasn’t.”

Scrooge tried to ignore the voice in his head that screamed  _ finally! _ and focus on what Goldie was saying. He felt more anxious than he had in, well...not very long. It’d been an anxiety-inducing couple of days. But he was feeling pretty anxious again at that moment.

“It’s startin’ to feel like you’ve kept a whole secret life from me.”

Goldie raised an eyebrow at him. “It wasn’t a secret, we just never talked about it.”

“You know about  _ my _ family.”

“Well, Hun,  _ your _ family is on the news every time something happens. How much have you actually _ told _ me compared to what I just read in the paper?”

Scrooge glared. “...I told you about Della.”

She froze for a moment. “This isn’t like that.”

“Then tell me what it  _ is _ like.” He reached over and touched her arm. “What happened to your daughter?”

Goldie huffed and leaned back, staring down at her knees. She didn’t want to have this conversation. She didn’t want to tell this story, especially not to  _ him _ . But she’d woken up and now she had to deal with the consequences.

“...Dickie’s mother was the only surviving Dawson orphan that was still there when I went back in 1908. She was only ten years old and practically skin and bones so I took her to the saloon and gave her food and a bed.”

Scrooge felt a weight immediately lift off of his shoulders. His pointless jealous anxieties dripped out of him and were replaced by a feeling of stupidity. An orphan, of  _ course. _

“She said her name was Lucia, and she absolutely  _ hated _ it when I tried to call her Lucy.” Goldie chuckled as she spoke. “And I did such a poor job of taking care of her. You know me, I was never meant to be a mother. So as soon as she got her strength back up, she started working around the town. Doing whatever she could to earn some dough.”

“And then I...started taking her on trips.” She played with her fingers and chewed the inside of her cheek. “It started out with simple stuff. A little treasure hunt here. A small heist over there. Nothing too crazy for a teenager. But I never really...talked to her. I still don’t know what she was interested in or if she had a boyfriend or anything. She was just the kid I’d taken in who helped me pull ropes when I needed it. And when she got to her 20’s, it  _ really _ made treasure hunting easier.”

Scrooge felt a pang of familiarity as he watched Goldie get lost in her own memories. He knew he had a similar look on his face whenever he told stories of the Klondike.

“...have you ever been to Dimension 79?”

“Not yet.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Goldie smiled softly. “I wanted to steal a chronal scepter. Thought it’d be worth the trouble to get it. But we got caught, the guards fired at me, and then Lucia just...pushed me out of the way...and then she was gone.”

She looked over at Scrooge and tried to seem unaffected by her own story. “You and her are the only people to ever do something like that for me. It’s...overwhelming, if I’m being honest..”

There was silence for longer than he expected and Scrooge felt like the room got colder. “...dead?”

“Not immediately,” Goldie responded, continuing her emotionless facade. “Their weapons are special over there. Lucia was shot through time. Every hundred hours or so, I don’t think it’s exact, she gets suddenly shot to another part of time. The next time I saw her was twenty years later, and she’d only aged maybe three.”

Scrooge had dealt with his fair share of crazy, mystical, magical problems over the years, but this one really baffled him. He needed to look into this dimension before accidentally winding up there.

“Oh, and of course she was _ pregnant! _ ” Goldie laughed, though it felt hollow. “With only a short time in each place, I don’t blame her for just doing whatever she’d been wanting to do. But we didn’t really have time to talk. She told me what hospital she wanted to have the baby in and what names she was thinking of, but the year? Who could know! Could’ve been in 1600 before I could get to her. Could’ve been in 3050! We were both  _ so _ lucky that it happened in 1995. We were so,  _ so _ lucky.”

Scrooge wasn’t used to hearing Goldie talk this much. He wondered if this was the first time Goldie had told all of this to  _ anyone. _ Her assistant seemed to know Dickie, but did she know the whole story? Did Dickie even know all of this?”

“What happened to her after that?”

“She died.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Goldie shrugged. “I don’t even know how or why it happened...I just know it was in May of 1960. She could’ve been an old woman! Or maybe she was still young and something happened. The obituary only said she was survived by her daughter, Dixie Duck. Who wouldn’t be born for another thirty years! But who looks that stuff up, right?”

“Dixie?”

“Yeah, tried it for a few years, but it never stuck,” Goldie said with a glance to the closed bedroom door. “She liked Dickie better so...here we are.”

“I…” Scrooge struggled to find his words. “I understand why you didne tell me this before, I do. And...maybe I wish I could’ve been a part of Lucia’s life, but at least I can be a part of Dickie’s.” He reached out and put a hand on top of Goldie’s.

She turned towards him and smiled sadly. “She’d like that.”

“But…” He scooted even closer to her. “...would  _ you _ like that?”

“I’m warming up to the idea,” Goldie mumbled, not needing to speak up with how close Scrooge had gotten to her.

He reached up and laid a hand on her cheek. “...you shouldn’t have had to go through that all alone.”

“But I did, and it’s fine.” She put her hand on top of his. “Lucia’s the one whose life was ruined. She never even had the chance to meet her daughter…”

“Perhaps...they’ll meet someday in the future?” Scrooge said hopefully, putting his other hand on her other cheek and holding her face gently. He could feel his heart swell at the emotional vulnerability Goldie was showing him...it was more than he’d seen in a long time. Maybe ever.

“At this point, I suppose...anything’s possible…” Goldie’s mumbles fell to whispers as Scrooge tugged her towards him until their beaks pressed together for a brief moment of passion.

They pulled apart and just stared into each other’s eyes.

“...Scrooge, I-”

“ _ Granny? _ ”

They turned around and quickly tore themselves apart, embarrassed to have been caught in a compromising position. Dickie didn’t seem to notice or mind, as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“How’re you feeling?”

Goldie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t waste time worrying about me, I’m  _ always _ fine. What about you?”

“Just...tired,” Dickie mused, tugging on the bottom of her Darkwing Duck nightshirt. “If you guys are gonna stay here tonight I can go get my -” She yawned again. “...air mattress.”

“Scrooge isn’t staying over,” Goldie answered without asking him. “The couch’ll be fine.”

“Okay, well…” Dickie gave them a half-hearted wave. “G’night, then.”

Goldie mumbled a quiet goodnight back and turned to Scrooge, who was already started to get up. “Where do you think  _ you’re _ going?”

He looked down at her. “I told her I’d look over the apartment for any traps, so that’s what I’m doin’. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Oh, please,” Goldie reached forward and grabbed his wrist, tugging him back down onto the couch. “You can’t leave yet.”

“And why’s tha-”

He was cut off by Goldie’s beak on his again, but this time they didn’t separate right away. Instead, they started making out like they hadn’t been all over each other just a day ago, and Goldie fought through the pain in her shoulder as she pulled Scrooge down on top of her.


	6. Duckburg 2: Electric Boogaloo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was kind of hopin’ we’d both go back to the mansion.” Scrooge shrugged sheepishly.
> 
> Goldie responded with a low hum and looked at the buildings around them. “Why don’t we just walk around for a bit? Maybe you can buy me some presents.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end! I mean we're sort of at the end, but there's a tiny little epilogue. Which will include some art because there's a certain scene which I feel will come across better as a visual. I'm not a writer, it's fine.
> 
> (as always, let me know if you see any typos!)

When Dickie exited her bedroom the next morning, her first thought was to make some breakfast for her and her grandmother. But, of course, she was on break from school, and had been staying up in Dawson, so there was no food in the apartment. But she didn’t even have the chance to be annoyed by that when she looked over at the couch to see if Granny was awake yet.

And sure as sun, she was awake. And so was  _ Scrooge McDuck _ , who Dickie distinctly remembered was supposed to have gone home, and as she squinted at the old ducks playing with each other’s feathers, she could clearly see that the only thing they were wearing was the blanket laying on top of them.

“Wha... _ that’s my couch! _ ” Dickie yelped suddenly, grabbing the couple’s attention.

Scrooge sheepishly looked away and Goldie just smirked. “Since I’m the one who bought it, I’d say it’s  _ my _  couch.”

Dickie frowned. “You’re so gross!”

Goldie mouthed the word ‘gross’ at Scrooge as he shook his head. “I’ll, um, I’ll buy you a new couch, Lass.”

“You better!!”

“Wow, Dickie, you’ve known him for a day and he’s already buying you things,” Goldie laughed, still playing with the feathers on Scrooge’s chest, much to his and Dickie’s embarrassment. 

“Can you guys just get dressed so we can talk?” Dickie groaned with her hands slapped over her eyes. “God, you’re so  _ old! _  How does that even-?!”

“Just give us ten minutes, Hun,” Goldie said and rolled her eyes. “And don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”

She continued to complain and walked back into her room, slamming the door shut. Goldie just laughed and leaned over to kiss Scrooge on the cheek, enjoying his embarrassment.

He started to sit up and twitched as his back cracked. “We should’ve just gone back to the mansion.”

“Your old bones can’t take a little couch nap?”

“Not when the couch is this  _ cheap _  and uncomfortable!”

Goldie frowned and shoved a hand against his chest. “This is a good couch! I paid top dollar for it!”

“Oh, of course, because more expensive  _ always _  means better quality.”

“Shut up and get dressed.” Goldie threw the blanket off of herself and over his head, then stood up and stretched. She was perfectly aware of Scrooge’s eyes on her while she walked around and tried to find all of her clothes from the day before.

Scrooge sighed heavily when Goldie picked up her blood stained shirt. She wasn’t complaining about pain anymore, but he knew that graze hadn’t healed yet - she was probably just putting on a face so he wouldn’t dote on her.

“I’ll have Launchpad bring you some new clothes,” Scrooge commented as he watched her put on her pants. “I’ve got a drawer filled with things you’ve left at the mansion.”

Goldie smirked and threw his robe at him. “Have I left enough clothes to warrant that?” She didn’t want to admit that the thought of a Goldie Drawer in Scrooge’s bedroom made her heart flutter. Just a tiny bit.

“Some of it is a few decades old, but yes.” Scrooge grabbed his spats and started to put them on.

“It’s fine, I have a few shirts hidden around here.” Goldie walked over to a dresser that was sitting against the back wall and pulled out a t-shirt with a giant GLOMGOLD INDUSTRIES logo on it.

“ _ What _  is  _ that _ ?”

“Oh, calm down, it was free.”

“You’re not seriously goin’ to wear that?”

Goldie put it on and turned around, posing comedically and running her hand through her hair. “What? You don’t think I’m sexy anymore?”

Scrooge grunted and closed his eyes. “It’s certainly not helpin’.”

At the sound of playful bickering, Dickie opened up her door and walked out again - this time wearing long gray ripped jeans and a t-shirt with some TV character neither Scrooge nor Goldie recognized on it. She glared at them. “Can you two come over here?”

Goldie and Scrooge came over and took a seat at the kitchen table. “What’s up, Hon?”

“Granny…” Dickie started, continuing to stand but leaning over the table for emphasis. “I know I normally spend my vacations up North with you, but...I think I’m gonna just stay here for a while. I don’t really feel comfortable going back to the hotel right now. I hope that’s okay.”

Goldie shrugged. “I get it. I’ll just have to come down and visit you more often.”

Scrooge cleared his throat. “And you, um...you can always come to the mansion if you need anything. I’d be happy to help.”

“Really? Thank you!” Dickie smiled brightly. “Granny, he’s so much nicer than you said he’d be!”

He smirked and looked over at Goldie. “Oh? Do you talk about me often or just when you want to insult me?”

She elbowed him in the chest and scoffed. “Unfortunately for me, Dickie here is a huge fan of yours, Scroogey.”

“Hey-!  _ Granny! _ ”

“A fan?”

“Yeah, she reads all about your adventures and keeps up with all the news stories and whatnot,” Goldie said with an uninterested shrug. “I’ve explained that  _ my _  adventures are much more interesting, but she likes that you bring your family along.”

“...is that so?” Scrooge smiled at Dickie, who was clearly embarrassed at this reveal.

“I-I mean, yeah, but I’m not trying to butt in on your family or anything!” Dickie finally sat down and hid her face in her hands. “It’s not a big deal!”

“Nonsense, Lass.” Scrooge leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder. “If you’re Goldie’s family, then you’re a part of my family, too. You can call or stop by anytime. I’d love to introduce you to the rest of the family.”

Dickie peeked her eyes between her fingers to see Scrooge’s genuine expression, and then exploded into a whirlwind of excited noises and hugs. “Thank you, thank you!!” She squeezed Scrooge tightly and Goldie just watched and laughed next to them.

* * *

After an hour of Dickie recanting her favorite of Scrooge’s adventures - some of which contained details that he wondered which meddlesome minx told her about - he and Goldie finally headed out the door. Though there were some details in those stories that he hadn’t even told  _ Goldie _  about, so...maybe it was better if he didn’t know where she got the information from. The internet was a strange place that he had no hope of understanding.

He’d convinced Goldie to leave with him and enjoyed watching her surprisingly emotional goodbye with her...granddaughter. The concept was still foreign to him, but he was certainly opening up to it after seeing them together. This didn’t feel like a con. Maybe he’d end up buying some things for this girl, but if he played his cards right, he could get some free babysitting out of her to make up for it. Mrs. Beakley would certainly appreciate the help.

Scrooge pulled out his phone to call Launchpad, but Goldie put her hand over his and he turned to look at her. She leaned over and gave him a very brief kiss on the beak - he turned red and darted his eyes around them, completely unused to such a public display of affection. “What, um...what was that for?”

“Just because,” she said with a smile - her hand still covering his. “You don’t have to go back to the mansion yet.”

“I was kind of hopin’ we’d  _ both _  go back to the mansion.” Scrooge shrugged sheepishly.

Goldie responded with a low hum and looked at the buildings around them. “Why don’t we just walk around for a bit? Maybe you can buy me some presents.”

“That’s not happenin’,” Scrooge grumbled. He moved his hand out from under hers and started to dial Launchpad’s number when Goldie grabbed his other hand - linking their fingers together. Scrooge immediately blushed and stared down at their entwined hands.

“Then don’t buy me anything. Let’s just walk around.”

Scrooge blinked incredulously at her. It felt like something was wrong with her, but maybe he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “Ah...alright.”

She raised an eyebrow. “If you don’t  _ want _  to-”

“No, I do!” Scrooge shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Just a warnin’...I’m very well known around here.”

“Shocking.”

He rolled his eyes. “I mean...someone might take a picture of us. I know you’re not a fan of that kind of thing.”

“Hmm,” Goldie thought about it for a moment. She wrapped her free hand around his arm and leaned her head onto his shoulder. “That’s fine.”

Scrooge blushed again - then smiled and put his free hand overtop of hers on his arm as they started to walk. “You’re in a good mood today.”

“Maybe.”

He squeezed her hand. “You’ve never been so affectionate out in public before. Smoochin’, hand holdin’...what’s next?”

She smirked. “Maybe I’ll swing for a public proposal.”

“ _ What?! _ ” Scrooge froze and turned to look straight at her. “You always said you didnae want to-!?”

Goldie started to chuckle at his reaction, but then his realization that she was messing with him sent her into a complete giggle fit. She moved her hands to his chest and kissed him again - this time letting it linger a little longer.

He responded with his hands moving to her waist - and as they moved their beaks apart, Scrooge genuinely enjoyed the brief moment of serenity before he heard a quiet  _ click _  from the other side of the street.

Goldie’s eye twitched and she turned her head down and away from the direction the camera came from out of habit. Scrooge glared over and saw someone vaguely familiar who immediately rushed down the street and out of his sight.

“I warned you.”

“So you did,” Goldie said with a laugh. “It’s fine. At least the world can know that the Richest Duck In The World is not the confirmed bachelor he pretends to be.”

Scrooge smiled and squeezed her hips a bit harder in excitement. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” She tore away from him and started to walk again. “You know...maybe it’s not the end of the world that Dickie wants to stay in Duckburg for a while.”

He caught up to her and thought about grabbing her hand again. “Oh?”

“She’ll certainly be...safer here. Closer to family.”

“And you have another reason to visit more often.” Scrooge continued his internal struggle of whether or not to grab her hand.

“I wouldn’t get too excited about that if I were you.” Goldie glanced down at his twitching hand and smirked - grabbing it the same way she had before.

“Well, considerin’ you were willin’ to pay a  _ trillion dollars _  to keep her safe, seems like you’d want to spend some time with her.” He squeezed her hand in thanks.

“Oh, please.” Goldie shrugged. “The check would’ve bounced. Or I would’ve given them counterfeit bills.”

“Uh huh.”

“Yes, huh!” She poked a finger into his chest. “Don’t think I’m getting soft just ‘cause I have a kid.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Scrooge smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

Goldie hummed as he did so, feeling very loved in that moment. It was quite embarrassing. But...maybe embarrassing wasn’t as bad as she used to think.

They walked around idly chatting for another hour - Goldie pointing out clothes and jewelry in shop windows that she thought were particularly eye-catching. Scrooge knew what she was doing, but the implication that he should be buying her presents made it seem like she’d be visiting for holidays. Or maybe even on her  _ birthday. _  She’d never celebrated her birthday, at least not with him. It was understandable, since they didn’t sell 150th Birthday candles.

“So...are you comin’ back to the mansion?” Scrooge asked as they realized they’d walked almost the entire way back. “Maybe even stay for dinner?”

Goldie glared at the mansion - with the gates visible down the street, the building itself was just up the hill. This seemed like a step too far. As sickeningly romantic as she was feeling, she couldn’t play house to that extreme. It was too much.

“I don’t think so, Scroogey. I’d like to see what Beakley did to my hotel.”

“Ah,” he sighed and let go of her hand, feeling dejected all of a sudden. “I can have Launchpad take you back to Dawson, then, if you’d like.”

Her hand felt disturbingly empty and small without his in it, and Goldie’s heart started to beat faster while butterflies fluttered around her stomach. This  _ was _  too much. But maybe...just this one time...she could handle too much. 

She walked in front of him, tickling her feathering fingers under his beak. “Maybe I will stay...if you can catch me.”

“What?” he asked, too distracted by the feeling of her fingers to understand what she was saying.

Goldie laughed and rushed ahead of him towards the gates - and Scrooge took an extra second to figure out what was happening before running after her with a big smile on his face. 

He caught her wrist just as they reached the gates - and Goldie was about to mockingly announce that she’d won and would be headed back up North within the hour, but Scrooge tugged her to him and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She kissed him back -  _ deeply _ , much deeper than was appropriate for such a public setting - and smiled.

Too much might be just enough. For the time being.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She took her ticket and looked up at the clock. Perfect timing as usual, the train was about to arrive. She could see it coming down the tracks, and sighed as she thought about where she was headed.

When Goldie woke up, the sun had yet to rise and with the window open she could still hear the chirps of crickets outside. She’d already stayed longer than intended, it was time to go.

Years of practice made it easy to slip out of Scrooge’s spooning grasp without waking him up, and she quickly collected her clothes from the floor and started to get dressed. As she looked around the room, a neatly folded pile of her own clothes stood out to her on top of a dresser near the door. Goldie wondered if Scrooge had gotten this out himself or if Beakley had done it for him. She lifted up a shirt and jacket and hummed. This would be a little nicer than the t-shirt she was wearing before.

She thought about taking a few minutes to look for that special drawer of her clothes-and-whatnot, but decided against it. She’d be too tempted to take everything out in some attempt to un-domesticate herself. Maybe she could even leave something behind for him to add to it.

She gave him a small peck on the cheek before grabbing a few last second necessities and taking her leave out the window as per usual. If she tried to go out the door, she’d likely have to interact with Beakley (who seemed to always be awake when inconvenient) or Duckworth (who didn’t sleep at all).

It was a short walk to the train station and she felt like she could use it after spending all night in Scrooge’s ridiculously fluffy bed. It was the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in and she  _ hated _ that. If he could just have a harder bed then it’d be much easier to leave it. Whenever she left the mansion she felt a strong pull to just go back - specifically to get back in that  _ bed _ \- and it was extremely frustrating.

Goldie huffed and turned around to look at the mansion again. The sun was starting to rise so Scrooge would be waking up soon. He’d notice that she was gone and then he’d just go back to work like he always did. Their routine didn’t need to change just because he knew about Dickie. They might see each other a little more often, but otherwise everything could stay the same.

When she finally got to the station, they’d just opened up, and she was first in line to get a ticket up to Dawson. Goldie knew she could just take a plane, but something about a long train ride was relaxing to her. Reminded her of the good ol’ days...back when she and Scrooge first met.

She took her ticket and looked up at the clock. Perfect timing as usual, the train was about to arrive. She could see it coming down the tracks, and sighed as she thought about where she was headed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done :D Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> And yes, that's Dickie's mom, Lucia, coming off the train. I love the almosts and the drama. There's not gonna be a sequel or anything. Thanks again!


End file.
